Game Help:TS3 System Requirements

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Sims 3 Logo transparent small.png This article is written for The Sims 3. For the equivalent Sims 2 article, click here.
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Desktop Graphics Card Compatibility and Recommendations

This chart is for desktop graphics ONLY and does not take into account the rest of your computer. If you have an awesome graphics card but crappy everything else, your performance will suck. If you have a newer computer with a strong CPU and lots of RAM, but install a crappy graphics card, you will still likely have performance problems.

TS3 relies very heavily on the CPU and having a multi-core processor makes a huge difference in performance, but that does not mean just any graphics card out there will work. What it DOES mean, is that if you have a really strong dual or quad core CPU, you may be able to get better performance out of the Maybe cards. If you have an older single core CPU, even the Yes cards may not give perfect performance.

Please note: It is not recommended that you attempt to play TS2 or TS3 on an integrated video chipset. If you have a computer with integrated video, it is recommended you view this guide.


KEY
Yes Known to give good game play, little or no lagging is expected
Maybe Performance is uncertain/unknown, or may still be mostly playable with expected lagging/reduced performance
No Not recommended/known problems/poor performance
Integrated/

Onboard Video

Sims 3

Base Game

Expansion Pack Stuff Pack
World Adventures Ambitions Late Night High-End Loft Stuff Fast Lane Stuff
Intel Extreme/

GMA 8xx/9xx

No No No No No No
Intel GMA x3100 No No No No No No
Intel GMA x4500 No No No No No No
Intel HD (core i-series) No No No No No No
Radeon Xpress No No No No No No
Radeon x1200, x1250, x1270 No No No No No No
Radeon HD3200 No No No No No No
Radeon HD4200 Maybe No No No No No
Radeon HD4250 Maybe No No No No No
Radeon HD6250 Maybe
Radeon HD6310 Maybe
Nvidia 61xx/71xx No No No No No No
Nvidia 8200/8300 No No No No No No
Nvidia 9300/9400 Maybe No No No No No
ATI Dedicated Graphics Card Sims 3

Base Game

Expansion Pack Stuff Pack
World Adventures Ambitions Late Night High-End Loft Stuff Fast Lane Stuff
Radeon 7000/VE No No No No No No
Radeon 7200 No No No No No No
Radeon 7500 No No No No No No
Radeon 8500 No No No No No No
Radeon 9000 No No No No No No
Radeon 9200 No No No No No No
Radeon 9500 No No No No No No
Radeon 9600 No No No No No No
Radeon 9700 No No No No No No
Radeon 9800 Maybe Maybe No No No No
Radeon x300 No No No No No No
Radeon x600 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe No
Radeon x700 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x800 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x850 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x1300 No No No No No No
Radeon x1550 No No No No No No
Radeon x1600 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x1650 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x1800 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x1900 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon x1950 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 2400 No No No No No No
Radeon HD 2600 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 2900 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
Radeon HD 3400 No No No No No No
Radeon HD 3600 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
Radeon HD 3800 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
**Radeon HD 3870x2 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 4350 No No No No No No
Radeon HD 4550 No No No No No No
Radeon HD 4600 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 4770 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 4800 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 4800x2 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 5450 No No No No No No
Radeon HD 5550/5570 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 5670 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 5700 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 5800 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 5900 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
Radeon HD 6850 / 6870 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 6950 / 6970 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Radeon HD 6990 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
Nvidia Dedicated Graphics Card Sims 3

Base Game

Expansion Pack Stuff Pack
World Adventures Ambitions Late Night High-End Loft Stuff Fast Lane Stuff
GeForce 2 No No No No No No
GeForce 3 No No No No No No
GeForce 4/4xx/4xxx No No No No No No
GeForce 5200/5300/5500 No No No No No No
GeForce 5600/5700 No No No No No No
GeForce 5800 No No No No No No
GeForce 5900 No No No No No No
GeForce 6200 No No No No No No
GeForce 6600 No No No No No No
GeForce 6800 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce 7300 No No No No No No
GeForce 7600 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce 7800 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce 7900 Yes Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce 7950 GX2 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
 !GeForce 8400 No No No No No No
**!GeForce 8500 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
 !GeForce 8600 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
GeForce 8800 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce 9400 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
GeForce 9500 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
GeForce 9600 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
GeForce 9800 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce G100 No No No No No No
GeForce GT 120 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce GT 130 Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce GTS 150 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
GeForce G210 No No No No No No
GeForce GT 220 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
GeForce GTS 240 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTS 250 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 260 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 275 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 280 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 285 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 295 Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe Maybe
GeForce 310 No No No No No No
GeForce 315 No No No No No No
GeForce GT 330 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
GeForce GT 340 Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 420 OEM Maybe Maybe No No Maybe Maybe
GeForce GTX 430 / 440 OEM Yes Yes Maybe Maybe Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 450 OEM Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 460 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 460 SE Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 465 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 470 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 480 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 530
GeForce GTX 550
GeForce GTX 560 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 570 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GeForce GTX 580 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes


**Regardless of the performance potential of these cards the Radeon 3850x2 is unsupported by TS3 and is known to have compatibility problems with TS2. Therefore the card is not recommended

! At least some if not all of Nvidia's cards with G86 and G84 cores are defective. They they do not handle heat like they should. This includes all GeForce 8400/8500/8600/8700 cards.

The Sims 3 System Requirements

A note on these requirements: The requirements listed below are taken directly from the official TS3 site. These are the absolute bare minimums you need to get the game up and running. These are NOT the minimum requirements for a playable game experience! If you have just the bare minimum and a low-end graphics card, you will NOT be able to play the game! It will run... but it will not look good, run well, or run consistently without crashing.

In order to find the specs on your system, see: Game Help:System Specs. If you are looking to upgrade your system, please see Help: Computer & Software Help for lots of advice, recommendations, and a place you can ask questions on specific hardware.

Sims 3 Base Game PC Requirements

From: http://www.thesims3.com/game/systemreq (with some slight changes based on advanced graphics card knowledge)

Items marked in green are those which are also recommended by MTS for playing The Sims 3.

FOR WINDOWS XP

  • 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent (2.0ghz Core 2 Duo or higher is recommended)
  • 1 GB RAM (2GB of RAM is recommended)
  • A 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (256 MB dedicated video card - mid-range or higher - is recommended)
  • The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
  • Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
  • At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games


FOR WINDOWS VISTA

  • 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent (2.0ghz Core 2 Duo or higher is recommended)
  • 1.5 GB RAM (at least 2.5GB of RAM is recommended)
  • 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (256 MB dedicated video card - mid-range or higher - is recommended)
  • Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1
  • At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games


For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:

  • Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA 3-Series or above
  • 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
  • 0.5 GB additional RAM


SUPPORTED VIDEO CARDS: (MTS staff note: Model numbers listed in green are likely to run the game well, assuming the rest of the computer also meets the above recommendations)

NVIDIA GeForce series:

  • FX 5900, FX 5950 (The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista.)
  • 6200, 6500, 6600, 6800, (Please note that the GeForce 6100 and 7100 cards are not supported.)
  • 7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
  • 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
  • 9300, 9400, 9500, 9600, 9800
  • G100, GT 120, GT 130, GTS 150
  • GT 220, GTS 240, GTS 250, GTX 260, GTX 275, GTX 280, GTX 285, GTX 295

Note: EA does not list the entire 200 series as being supported. However, we have expanded the list to include cards from the series which should work well.

ATI Radeon™ series:

  • 9500, 9600, 9800
  • X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
  • X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
  • 2400, 2600, 2900
  • 3450, 3650, 3850, 3870,
  • 4830, 4770, 4850, 4870, 4890

Note: The official list no longer includes the anything below the 4850 from the Radeon 4000 Series graphics cards. However, we have expanded the list to include some these cards which should work just fine.

Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)

  • GMA 3-Series, GMA 4-Series (This game will not run on the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.)


Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run comparatively slower. Standalone cards that are installed in vanilla PCI slots (not PCIe or PCIx or AGP), such as some GeForce FX variants, will perform poorly.

Intel integrated chipsets featuring underclocked parts will not perform adequately. Integrated chipsets such as the ATI Xpress and the NVIDIA TurboCache variants may default to settings that are higher than what would be optimal for them. Graphics settings can be lowered to improve performance.

Please note that attempting to play the game using video hardware that isn't listed above may result in reduced performance, graphical issues or cause the game to not run at all.

The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista.

Sims 3 Base Game MAC Requirements

FOR MAC OS X

  • Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard or higher
  • Intel Core Duo Processor
  • 2 GB RAM
  • ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100.
  • At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
  • This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems, or the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.


MAC OS X Supported Video Cards


NVIDIA GeForce series

  • 7300, 7600
  • 8600, 8800
  • 9400M, 9600M GT
  • GT 120, GT 130

ATI Radeon(TM) series

  • X1600, X1900
  • 2400, 2600
  • 3870,
  • 4850, 4870

Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)

  • GMA X3x00



Expansion Packs

World Adventures

All requirements the same with following additions:

  • Additional 3.5GB of free Hard Drive space
  • @ 10GB in total with The Sims 3


Ambitions

All requirements the same with following additions:

  • Additional 3.5GB of free Hard Drive space
  • @ 10GB in total with The Sims 3 only
  • @ 13.8GB if installing with The Sims 3 base game + WA + HEL


Late Night

All requirements the same with following additions:

  • Additional 300MB of free Hard Drive space
  • @ 10GB in total with The Sims 3 only
  • @ 17.6GB if installing with The Sims 3 base game + WA + HEL + AMB + FL


Stuff Packs

High-End Loft

All requirements the same with following additions:

  • Additional 300MB of free Hard Drive space
  • @ 6.8GB in total with The Sims 3 only
  • @ 10.3GB if installing with The Sims 3 base game + WA


Fast Lane

All requirements the same with following additions:

  • Additional 300MB of free Hard Drive space
  • @ 6.8GB in total with The Sims 3 only
  • @ 14GB if installing with The Sims 3 base game + WA + HEL + AMB


Related Pages

Sims 3 Game Help Categories:

Custom Content  | Installation  | Gameplay Guides  | Technical & Graphics Issues  | Miscellaneous Issues

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